The Press., 1887-03-17
Brander Matthews in the Princeton Review
 THE GIRL AND THE LETTER,

Did you ever hear about the girl down in Maine, who wrote her lover quadruple temperance letter?"
 We expressed our ignorance of this an ecdote.
 '''Tisn't much of 8 story" said our friend Brown, .but it shows what queer things girls will do sometimes. We'll, down at Casco, in Maine, there was a young fellow who had worked his way up from before the mast untn he was captain of new ship, and part owner, too. Then he asked his glrl to marry him, and she took him. The first cruise of the new ship. was to be the young shippers last voyage, for he'd had an offer of partner ship. After he'd been gone abont a week the girl got over the sorrow of parting, and began to take stock of his. character. He was good, healthy, kindly, intelligent, long headed and keen-w -witted. She had every chance of happiness with such a husband. SO far as she could see, he hadn't fault, nor even failing which might ripen into fault It was true that sometimes he went on a tear when he came off cruise. The more she thought about thls, the more she feared that this might grow to be habit, and land hlm in a drunkard's grave. You see, she got
 
 last she sat down and wrote him a letter, telling him just how she felt, and begging him, by the love he bore her, not to touch another drop, above all, not to go on a spree when he came off cruise When she'd got her letter written she felt better merely writing it had relieved her mind. But she didn't know where to address 1t. It was too late to reach her lover at Liver pool, which was the first port the new ship was bound for, and it was quite uncertain where he would go next. He had told her that his course depended entirely on freights,, and on the advices he should g.t III Liverpool, and that he might go to Bavre or to Bordeaux, or to Marseilles, or to Genoa, he didn't know which. She solved the difficulty by making four copies of the letter and sending one to each port. Now it so happened that her lover sailed from Liverpool for Havre, and from Mar seilles to Genoa and he got all four copies of that letter. And, when he read the fourth copy, he was just too mad to hold in, so he sat right down any wrote her 8 short note, breaking off the engagement, and telling her that woman who hadn't any more confidence in man than to treat him that way had better be released from the obligation of marrying him
 We inquired whether this lovers quarrel had not been mended when the sailor, came home
 "He wasn't that kind of man at all, , answered our friend Brown. ''If he was set, he was set. When he got back from the cruise he didn't go on spree. be lieve he never touched another drop of li- quor. But he never went to see the girl. He sold out his share in the ship and ac. cepted the partnership, and, in less than two years, he married the senior partners daughter. About that tune an old aunt of his wife's died, and left her the house next door to the captains first girl, and they set up housekeeping there, right under that girls eyes, and she's seen his family growing up around him year by year, while she lived on, little old maid, all alone by herself. Women are kittle cat tie, aren't they? ?"